METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRESENTING A THREE DIMENSIONAL TIC TAC TOE GAME TO MULTIPLE PLAYERS IN A MULTIMEDIA ELECTRONIC DEVICE

FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of gaming, and more
particularly it relates to the field of a method and system for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game to multiple players in a multimedia electronic device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Board games are games involving placing of counters or pieces on a
board or removal or replacement of counters or pieces across a pre marked surface specific to the board game. Board games include, for example, chess, checkers, cluedo, tic tac toe, etc. Most of the traditional board games are currently available as computer games. A three dimensional tic tac toe game has an inherent limitation including the fact that once the simple mechanics of the game are learnt, the moves could be pre planned to achieve victory. Also, the preplanned set of moves leads to a predetermined set of consequences during the game play, restricting the possibility of the players with ordinary skill associated with playing the game to have a lower probability of winning the three dimensional tic tac toe game. The above mentioned circumstances lead to loss of interest and thrill during the game play for most of the players.
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In the light of the foregoing discussion there is a need for a method and a system to provide equal opportunities to each of the players to win the game by preventing players from pre planning the moves.
SUMMARY
[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure described herein provide a method and a system for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game.
[0004] An example of a method for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game on a multimedia electronic device to multiple players includes providing a visual representation of a board for playing the three dimensional tic tac toe game. The board includes multiple sub regions for multiple players to play the three dimensional tic tac toe game. The method also includes enabling one or more of the sub regions on initializing a game play by each of the players to receive inputs from the players in the enabled sub regions, and indicating the enabled one or more sub regions on the visual representation of the board to prompt the players to provide inputs in the enabled sub regions alone.
[0005] An example of a system for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game in a multimedia electronic device includes an interface for receiving inputs from the players for playing the three dimensional tic tac toe game, a sub region selection unit for selecting the number of sub regions based on an user input, a display for displaying the visual representation of the board including the selected number of sub regions to the players, and an enabling unit for enabling one or more of sub regions based on
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predetermined criteria during each game of each of the players to accept inputs from the players.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0006] The accompanying figures, similar reference numerals may refer to identical or functionally similar elements. These reference numerals are used in the detailed description to illustrate various embodiments and to explain various aspects and advantages of the present disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game on a multimedia electronic device to multiple players.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game on a multimedia electronic device to multiple players.
[0009] FIGS. 3a-3h exemplarily illustrate a visual representation of a board for playing a three dimensional tic tac toe game sequentially indicating various iterations during the process of game play.
[0010] Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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[0011] It should be observed that method steps and system components have been represented by conventional symbols in the figures, showing only specific details that are relevant for an understanding of the present disclosure. Further, details that may be readily apparent to person ordinarily skilled in the art may not have been disclosed. In the present disclosure, relational terms such as primary and secondary, first and second, and the like, may be used to distinguish one entity from another entity, without necessarily implying any actual relationship or order between such entities.
[0012] Embodiments of the present disclosure described herein provide a method and a system for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game to multiple players on a multimedia electronic device.
[0013] FIG. 1 exemplarily illustrates a system 100 for presenting the three dimensional tic tac toe game to multiple players. The three dimensional tic tac toe game is for example, a three dimensional tic tac toe game. The system 100 includes a multimedia electronic device 105. An example of the multimedia electronic device 105 includes but is not limited to one of a television, a computer, a laptop, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA).
[0014] In an embodiment the multimedia electronic device 105 is coupled via the bus
140 to a display 145 , such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD)
or a light emitting diode (LED) display, for rendering the visual representation of the
board to the players. An input device 150, including alphanumeric and other keys, is
coupled to the bus for communicating an input to the processor 110. The input device
150 can be included in the multimedia electronic device 105. Another type of user input
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device 150 is a cursor control, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating the input to the processor 110 and for controlling cursor movement on the display 145. The input device 150 can also be included in the display 145, for example a touch screen.
[0015] In an embodiment the multimedia electronic device 105 is coupled to an interface 155 via the bus 140. The interface 155 accepts inputs from the players for playing the three dimensional tic tac toe game.
[0016] The multimedia electronic device 105 includes a bus 140 or other communication mechanism for communicating information. The multimedia electronic device 105 includes a processor 110 coupled with the bus 140. The processor 110 processes and controls the functionalities of the multimedia electronic device 105. The multimedia electronic device 105 also includes a memory 115, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device 165, coupled to the bus 140 for storing information. In an embodiment the memory 115 is used for storing any temporary information required. The multimedia electronic device 105 further includes a read only memory 120 (ROM) or other static storage device coupled to the bus 140 for storing static information for the processor 110. A storage unit, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to the bus 140 for storing information.
[0017] Further, the multimedia electronic device 105 includes a sub region selection
unit 135. The sub region selection unit 135 selects multiple sub regions based on a user
input. Furthermore, the multimedia electronic device 105 includes an enabling unit 130.
The enabling unit 130 enables one or more sub regions based on predetermined criteria
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during each game of each of the players. The one or more sub regions are enabled to accept inputs from the players. The processor 110 is responsive to the selection of multiple sub regions and enabling of the sub regions and performs one or more operations based on the selection and the enabling.
[0018] In an embodiment, the enabling unit 130 further includes a selection unit and an indicator unit. The selection unit selects one or more sub regions on the visual representation of the board based on predetermined criteria. The indicator unit indicates the enabled one or more sub regions on the visual representation of the board.
[0019] Various embodiments are related to the use of the multimedia electronic device 105 for implementing the techniques described herein. In one embodiment, the techniques are performed by the processor 110 using information included in the memory 115. The information is read into the memory 115 from another machine-readable medium, such as the storage unit.
[0020] The term “machine-readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific fashion. In an embodiment implemented using the multimedia electronic device 105, various machine-readable medium are involved, for example, in providing information to the processor 110. The machine-readable medium can be a storage media. Storage media includes both non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as the storage unit. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as the memory 115. All such media must be tangible to enable
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the information carried by the media to be detected by a physical mechanism that reads the information into a machine.
[0021] Common forms of machine-readable medium include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge.
[0022] In another embodiment, the machine-readable medium can be a transmission media including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that include the bus 140. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.
[0023] In some embodiments, the multimedia electronic device 105 is connected to the storage device 165 for storing or fetching information. Examples of the storage device 165 includes, but are not limited to, a flash drive, a pen drive, a hard disk or any other storage media. The storage device 165 is used to store one or more reference images, one or more desired images, information related to pixel intensities of a reference color added to a visual region on a reference image.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game to multiple players.
[0025] The method starts at step 205.
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[0026] At step 210, a visual representation of a board including multiple sub regions is provided to one or more players. An initial player is allowed to select a number of sub regions on the board for playing the three dimensional tic tac toe game. The initial player selects the number of sub regions via the interface on the multimedia electronic device. The visual presentation of the board including the selected number of sub regions is displayed to the players via the display of the multimedia electronic device.
[0027] At step 215, one or more sub regions are enabled. The sub regions are enabled during each game of each of the players to receive inputs from the players. The receipt of the inputs in restricted to the enabled regions alone. During enabling, one or more sub regions are selected for each game of each of the players based on predetermined criteria. As used herein the term “predetermined criteria” refers to a game strategy. As used herein the term “game strategy” refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal during a game. The predetermined criteria are oriented towards restraining the probability of winning the three dimensional tic tac toe game by each of the players to a predetermined probability limit. Restraining the probability includes maintaining the probability at a predetermined error from the predetermined probability limit. In an embodiment, each of players are provided with an equal probability to win the three dimensional tic tac toe game.
[0028] At step 220, the enabled sub regions on the visual representation of the board are indicated to the players. The indication prompts the players to provide inputs in the enabled sub regions alone. The players are restricted from providing inputs at the non enabled sub regions.
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[0029] The method stops at step 225.
[0030] FIGS. 3a- 3h exemplarily illustrate a visual representation of a board for playing a three dimensional tic tac toe game sequentially indicating various iterations during the process of game play. In this example, an initial player from among one or more players selects a set of twenty seven sub regions to play the three dimensional tic tac toe game. Based on the selection of the sub regions by the initial player the visual representation including three grids, each grid including a matrix including a set of nine sub regions is displayed to one or more players.
[0031] To win a game, a player must place three assigned symbols including a cross “X” mark or a “=” mark on three sub regions that line up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, on a single grid, or spaced evenly over all three grids.
[0032] FIG. 3a illustrates a set of first three games within the three dimensional tic tac
toe game. In the first game, the system 100 enables a pair of sub regions from among
the twenty seven sub regions to receive inputs from the players. In FIGS. 3a- 3h, the
sub regions marked in white represent a set of enabled sub regions and the rest of the
sub regions are disabled at any instant of game play. In this example, the game is
played by an initial player and a second player. The initial player provides an input in
one of the enabled sub regions by marking a “X” mark in the one of the enabled regions
as exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 3b. On the initial player marking “X” mark in one of the
sub regions, two more sub regions are enabled creating a set of three enables sub
regions for the second player. The enabled sub regions are indicated to prompt the
second player to provide the inputs in one of the three enabled sub regions.
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[0033] The second player provides an input by marking “=” in one of the three enabled sub regions as exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 3c. On marking the sub regions by the second player a new game is initiated for the initial player by enabling a pair of sub regions in addition to already existing pair of enabled sub regions. Now, a set of four sub regions are enabled for receiving inputs from the initial player as exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 3d. The initial player marks a “X” in one of the four enabled sub regions causing two more sub regions to be enabled as exemplarily illustrated in FIGS. 3e-3f. A set of five sub regions are enabled and the second player marks “=” in one of the five enabled sub regions as exemplarily illustrated in FIGS. 3g-3h. In this example, a pair of sub regions is enabled for each game based on predetermined criteria including a game strategy. The game strategy provides an equal opportunity for each of the players to win the three dimensional tic tac toe game by preventing players from pre planning the moves.
[0034] In the preceding specification, the present disclosure and its advantages have been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, it will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and changes can be made, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded as illustrative examples of the present disclosure, rather than in restrictive sense. All such possible modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present disclosure.
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I/We Claim:

1. A method for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game to a plurality of players
in a multimedia electronic device, comprising:
providing a visual representation of a board comprising a plurality of sub regions to the players for playing the three dimensional tic tac toe game;
enabling one or more of the sub regions during every game of each of the players to receive inputs from the players in the enabled sub regions; and
indicating the enabled one or more sub regions on the visual representation of the board.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling comprises:
selecting one or more sub regions on the visual representation of the board for each game of each of the players based on predetermined criteria; and
enabling one or more sub regions based on the selection to receive inputs from the players.
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3. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined criteria restrain the probability of winning the three dimensional tic tac toe game by each of the players to a predetermined probability limit.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein a predetermined number of sub regions are enabled for each game of each of the users.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of sub regions is selectable by an initial player from among the players for playing the three dimensional tic tac toe game by the players.
6. The method of claim 3, wherein restraining the probability further comprises maintaining the probability at a predefined error from the predetermined probability limit.
7. A system for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game in a multimedia electronic device to a plurality of players, comprising:
an interface for accepting inputs from the players for playing the three dimensional tic tac toe game;
a sub region selection unit for selecting the number of sub regions based on an user input;
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a display for rendering the visual representation of the board comprising the selected number of sub regions to the players; and
an enabling unit for enabling one or more of sub regions based on predetermined criteria during each game of each of the players for accepting inputs from the players.
8. The system of claim 6, wherein the enabling unit further comprises:
a selection unit for selecting one or more sub regions on the visual representation of the board based on predetermined criteria; and
an indicator unit for indicating the enabled one or more sub regions on the visual representation of the board.
9. A system for performing a method, the method as described herein and in accompanying figures.
10. A multimedia electronic device for presenting a three dimensional tic tac toe game, the three dimensional tic tac toe game as described herein and in accompanying figures.